Overview
- Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 21, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Manhattan federal court to attempting to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries before Judge Paul G. Gardephe.
- Prosecutors say he planned a mass shooting timed to the Oct. 7 anniversary with the stated goal of killing as many Jews as possible and boasted it could be the largest U.S. attack since 9/11.
- Charging documents say Khan embraced ISIS propaganda starting in November 2023, directed two undercover officers to secure AR‑style rifles, ammunition and knives, and sent a photo of the intended kill zone inside the Brooklyn site.
- Investigators say he tried to enter the United States with a human smuggler on Sept. 4, 2024 and was arrested near Ormstown, Quebec about 12 miles from the border before being extradited to the U.S. in June 2025.
- Officials credit a joint U.S.–Canadian operation involving the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, the NYPD and the RCMP with stopping what they call an ISIS‑inspired, hate‑driven plot; in court, Khan said he was motivated by the war in Gaza and expressed remorse.